Nissan’s performance division has had a fairly narrow scope in the U.S. of late—a NISMO-badged 370Z here and a few upgrade parts there, but little else. Nissan wants that to change, and plans to expand NISMO’s influence to more road cars in the future. To show the performance potential hiding in its everyday products—and to signal its intent to broaden its NISMO offerings—the automaker brought this Juke concept to the Tokyo auto show.

The Sum of the Parts

NISMO’s reach may expand, but it still will adhere to its current two-pronged strategy for road-car performance tuning: one, create showroom-ready performance versions of Nissan vehicles and, two, offer branded parts and accessories. As you’d expect, the Juke concept is an example of a turn-key NISMO model.

To create the concept, NISMO added a more aerodynamic body kit with a new front fascia and splitter, rocker extensions, fender flares, a rear valance, and a hatch spoiler. The Juke’s stance—and, ostensibly, its handling—benefits from a lowered and stiffened suspension. A red-accented white paint job and dark 19-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile tires don’t hurt the look, either. Nissan says the NISMO Juke’s turbocharged 1.6-liter four was tweaked for more power, but doesn’t elaborate on what specific changes were made. In stock form the engine makes a relatively impressive 188 hp, which we’ve found to be enough to overpower the front wheels of our long-termer, so we’re hoping that the hopped-up car features all-wheel drive. (No word yet on any brake upgrades.) We do note that the Juke NISMO is fitted with a manual transmission, something that’s only available on front-drive production models.

The concept has a NISMO-fettled steering wheel and shift knob, as well as special pedals, gauges, leather bucket seats, and door trim. All glossy interior surfaces were given the matte treatment, while the Juke’s signature painted center console—Nissan won’t stop mentioning that it was inspired by a motorcycle fuel tank—was sprayed in a metallic hue.

NISMO: Japanese for M or AMG?

The Juke NISMO isn’t as bonkers as the Juke R, an off-the-wall creation with GT-R running gear. But the Juke R is nowhere near as production-feasible as this one. As compelling as we find the Juke NISMO’s on-sale prospects—word is that it would come here if it’s built—what it represents for the NISMO brand is perhaps more important. Until now, NISMO has focused more on motorsports than road cars—its name, after all, is a contraction of Nissan Motorsports. The plan to NISMO-fy more models will place the division in the company of BMW’s M, Mercedes-Benz’s AMG, or Mazda’s Mazdaspeed, among others.

To prove that it’s serious about NISMO’s future, Nissan will move all NISMO operations under one roof in 2013; that means development of race cars, road cars, and parts will take place in a single Yokohama facility. Everyone working so closely should help NISMO maintain a consistent identity—and that can only bode well for future performance Nissans.

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